For me, super and silvertip is the way to go. I can lather PdP with my recently acquired Kent BK4 so loading soaps with a soft, not dense, silvertip brush is not an issue. The face feel is great. I only use my boars because I feel guilty if I don't. We all like different things.
Pure Badger out performs Silvertip
- Thread starter aceinyerface
- Start date
I'm guessing what you are experiencing is the difference between a fairly dense knot (your TGN) and a pretty sparse knot in your old brush.
Take a "pure badger" super-cheapo brush (I'm thinking of my Target Shea Soft brush) and compare it to a TGN knot which is packed much more densely, and I have it set far, far lower than the Target flopper, and the amount of lather produced by the Shea soft is 5X what a low-set dense TGN knot will produce. In the same way, the TGN, will produce more lather than my D01 knot.
When you pack a brush loosely there is far far more area between the hairs to hold soap and lather than when the hairs are packed densely together.
If you are a person who likes gobs and gobs of lather half an inch thick on their face, a high-quality, densely packed knot is NOT going to be your favorite brush, you'd be happier with the cheapest (non-shedding) badger brush out there, because the super-cheap brushes are going to be packed very loosely (in comparison) to a higher quality brush.
You can off-set a very dense knot by increasing the loft, allowing the knot to splay outward to a great degree, decreasing the density. If you want a big old lathering mop, I would certainly want to set a decently dense silvertip at 50+mm height.
I just saw your picture of the brush in question. You look to have that knot set very, very low, which explains why it's not holding much lather.
Take a "pure badger" super-cheapo brush (I'm thinking of my Target Shea Soft brush) and compare it to a TGN knot which is packed much more densely, and I have it set far, far lower than the Target flopper, and the amount of lather produced by the Shea soft is 5X what a low-set dense TGN knot will produce. In the same way, the TGN, will produce more lather than my D01 knot.
When you pack a brush loosely there is far far more area between the hairs to hold soap and lather than when the hairs are packed densely together.
If you are a person who likes gobs and gobs of lather half an inch thick on their face, a high-quality, densely packed knot is NOT going to be your favorite brush, you'd be happier with the cheapest (non-shedding) badger brush out there, because the super-cheap brushes are going to be packed very loosely (in comparison) to a higher quality brush.
You can off-set a very dense knot by increasing the loft, allowing the knot to splay outward to a great degree, decreasing the density. If you want a big old lathering mop, I would certainly want to set a decently dense silvertip at 50+mm height.
I just saw your picture of the brush in question. You look to have that knot set very, very low, which explains why it's not holding much lather.
That would be the Shea Moisture brush in black badger. Was my first badger brush 2 years ago also. And while I believe the hairs are clipped, the scritchiness just feels good on my face for some reason. I think it must exfoiliate better or something, because while I like my TGN two-band finest in a vintage everready handle, my face always feels smoother after using a scritchy brush.
If your knot is set low like in the pic, give it some time to open up and bloom. After about 15-20 uses the brush should perform a bit better. You'll also have to use more product because there is more hair in the knot compared to what you're used to. More hair = more product to get the lather going.
To bkfist's point, I like fairly thick lather but I still prefer dense brushes with soft tips. They load soap (both hard and soft) more easily than a floppier brush and don't splay out on the face when face lathering. The soft tips prevent the brush from irritating my skin.
To bkfist's point, I like fairly thick lather but I still prefer dense brushes with soft tips. They load soap (both hard and soft) more easily than a floppier brush and don't splay out on the face when face lathering. The soft tips prevent the brush from irritating my skin.
I've never had problems with brush irritation, and so prefer the pure badger myself.
I like black badger best, which I believe is the stiffest grade of badger (one below pure). I use a Parker black badger. I have 2 silvertip brushes that just take up space in the closet. I get a significantly better shave with a scratchy brush. I face lather and it really lifts the whisker and works the lather in under the hair.
I was having some issue with brush burn but I have fixed that by paint brush lathering in an ATG motion for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th passes. I lather in a swirling motion for the 1st pass only.
I was having some issue with brush burn but I have fixed that by paint brush lathering in an ATG motion for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th passes. I lather in a swirling motion for the 1st pass only.
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